


How Do I?

by FandorkOfEverything



Category: Dinotrux (TV)
Genre: Ableism, Ableist Language, Abuse, Abusive Parents, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Anxiety, Anxiety Attacks, Best Friends, Canon LGBTQ Character, Character Death, Click-Clack's the youngest, Death, Disabled Character, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, False Accusations, Forbidden Love, Gay Male Character, Gen, Goddesses, Gods, Homophobia, Homophobic Language, Hurt No Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, Implied/Referenced Child Abuse, Implied/Referenced Homophobia, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Minor Original Character(s), Mother-Daughter Relationship, Mother-Son Relationship, Murder, On the Run, Original Character Death(s), Original Character(s), Original Female Character(s) - Freeform, Original Gods, POV Original Character, Pansexual Character, Past Abuse, Past Character Death, Physical Abuse, Physical Disability, Protective Siblings, Running Away, Siblings, Social Anxiety, Twins, War, homophobic, i don't make the rules, kind of, original goddesses, reptools, trux
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-25
Updated: 2021-03-06
Packaged: 2021-03-16 00:01:31
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 16,420
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29691957
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/FandorkOfEverything/pseuds/FandorkOfEverything
Summary: It's been awhile since Click-Clack arrived at The Crater. And his sisters want to come with him. After gaining permission from their father, they get to join their younger brother. However, darkness is upon them. And it's not going well. Especially when the ravine, except for a few close friends, blame everything on Click-Clack and he has to learn to fight and defend himself.
Relationships: Click-Clack & Revvit (Dinotrux), Click-Clack/Revvit (Dinotrux), Original Male Character/Original Female Character, Original Male Character/Original Male Character
Kudos: 1





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I was rereading my old Dinotrux stories and I’m like…. Oh God. Please delete those. Except Diplomatic Existence, that one was alright. I might rewrite it one day, but let’s just pretend none of my old Dinotrux stories existed, especially since I renamed all of my original characters.

“A little higher, Click-Clack. It’s not quite even.” Revvit informed me and I nodded slowly.

_I can do that!_

“N-No problem, Revvit!” I shifted to raise the shelves higher.

“Good, now hold still….” Revvit drilled the shelf into place carefully as I tried to keep my clamps from shaking so much. Once he was done, he stood on it to make sure it was secure. “Perfect! Thank you for your help, Click-Clack.”

“N-No problem. Whenever I’m needed.” Revvit gave a small smile at me and we jumped down from the shelves and walked outside the garage. “A-Anything else I can do to help?”

“I do not think so. Actually, I believe it’s almost time to break for lunch.”

“Oh, that’s great—”

“Heads up!”

Revvit and I screamed as something came flying at us as we shook in fear. Well, I did. I can count myself as double for myself and Revvit.

_We’re all gonna die!  
  
_

“Woah!” I felt us being picked up off the ground and safely, hopefully, onto a chunk of rock.

“That was a close one!” A familiar voice spoke up.

“What was that? Are we alive?” I rambled while hiding in my shell, still shaking, I looked up to see Skya. I realized it was her hook that saved us.

“Indeed we are. What was that?” Revvit questioned and Skya sighed, looking to the left of us.

_A living nightmare?_

“Two guesses.” She commented, I looked up to see Ty and Ton-Ton driving towards us.

  
“Oh, sorry Click-Dude! Didn’t mean to scare yah!” Ton-Ton exclaimed, driving up to us quickly. “Ty and I just found this awesome lobbing ball! Great for target practice!”

_Target practice? Revvit and I are reptools, not targets!_

“Y-Y-Y-Yeah…. So long as that t-target isn’t m-m-me…” I mumbled softly, getting out of my shell but still shaking.

“Sorry about that, guys. I guess my aim was a little off.” Ty commented and Revvit gave him ‘the look.’

“A little?” He questioned and Ty laughed in defeat.

“Yeah, I guess a lot off.”

“You could say that again.” Dozer seconded that.

Before any of us could say another word, I was tackled to the ground by something, or rather someone. I screamed in surprise, shaking in fear.

“Leave me alone! Let me be!” I shielded my face with my clamps, but I heard a familiar laughter instead of an attack. I peeked through my clamps to see a familiar tool. “Tic-Tac?” I asked, pushing the red female-reptool off of me. “What’re you doing here?”

“Yes, I thought you liked the solitude of the ravine.” Revvit added, jumping down from the rock.

“Yeah, I guess. But I finally decided to see for myself what you guys like about topside, and you were right!” She exclaimed, looking around. “It’s so beautiful out here! All the trees and the flowers! It’s amazing!”

“We told you so.” Ace commented, coming into view with Waldo.

“Don’t worry. You’ll get bored of it soon enough.” Waldo commented and she rolled her eyes.

“Oh, don’t be such a downer, Waldo!” Tic-Tac laughed, looking around some more.

“Click-Clack? Who is this?” Skya finally asked and I gave a light chuckle.

“This is Tic-Tac. My twin sister. Tic-Tac, this is Ty, Ton-Ton, Dozer and Skya.” I introduced and she waved to everyone.

“Hi!”

“I didn’t know you had a sister.” Ty commented and I shrugged in response.

“Y-you never asked. And I have two sisters, actually.” I replied, earning some surprised looks. “Where is Ruby?”  
  


“She’s with River. Gossiping about reptools they found attractive or something.” Tic-Tac rolled her eyes at that.

_She’s never been the one for romance._

“Do your parents know you’re here, Tic-Tac?” Waldo asked, earning a sheepish look from my elder twin.

“You did tell them… Right?” I asked her and she shrugged sheepishly.

“Not exactly…. I know how they’d react. Well, how father would react. So I just kind of... Left?” She smiled and I shook my head at her.

_Father’s going to be so mad._

“You know Flame’s not going to be happy about this.” Revvit commented and she chuckled nervously.

“Yeah…. I didn’t think that far ahead.”

“Wait, hold on, who’s Flame?” Dozer asked and I shook my head.

“Our father. He’s crazy overprotective of Ruby and Tic-Tac.” I responded, earning a confused look from the Trux.

“Not you?” Skya asked and I shook my head. “How come?”

“Because he’s arrogant and rude.” Ace commented, earning a nudge from Waldo. “What?! He is!”

“She’s not wrong.” Tic-Tac agreed.

“I-I-I know…” I mumbled, shaking my head. “Come on. Let’s get you home before he realizes you’re gone.” Tic-Tac sighed but followed me anyways.

_This girls gonna be the end of me._

“Bye guys! It was nice to meet you!” Tic-Tac waved bye to everyone, who exchanged their goodbyes as well.

“You know father’s gonna loose his mind if he finds out.” I reminded her and she scoffed in annoyance.

“I’m sick of being held up, Clicky! I don’t like the solitude of the ravine, it’s too cramped for my style. That’s just a lie Ruby told you to tell everyone so nobody gets suspicious.” I gave her a look and shook my head.

_She’s right. She can’t be held up forever._

“Okay, fine. I’ll talk to father.” I told her and her eyes lit up.

“Really?!” She exclaimed, jumping up and down.

“Yes. So long as we’re not in trouble.” I told her as we entered the ravine. “Now shush!” I whispered to her as we made our way home.

“Mom?” I called out, entering our house. “Mom? You home?”

_Of course she’s home… She doesn’t get out much these days._

I looked over to see our mom, staring at the walls like a statue. Every once in a while, she would blink really slowly and breathe at the same pace.

_She’s slowly getting worse every day…._

“Mama?” I walked closer to her, causing her to jump a little bit.

“Oh, Click-Clack.” She smiled at me, embracing me with a hug. “How are things at the crater?”

“It was fine… I helped Revvit fix a shelf.” I told her and she smiled, her ember color showing more once she stepped into the light.

“That’s my boy.” She looked over at Tic-Tac and smiled. “And how’s my girl?”  
  


“I’m good, mama.” She responded and mom nodded slowly and returned to looking at the wall.

“I’m worried…” I spoke up once my sister and I were in the solitude of our room. “She’s getting worse…”  
  


“I know…” Tic-Tac agreed. “Do you think its father? Should we consult Eclipse?”

“Maybe…. Eclipse’s opinion wouldn’t be a bad thing. But we really shouldn’t mention father. You know how he gets sometimes…” I shivered, remembering the latest incident.

_Those clamp marks are still fresh…_

“Have you… Told anyone?” I gave her a stern look, which doesn’t typically happen with me.

“No. and you haven’t either. Right?”  
  


“I told River that Mom’s mental ability is slipping… But nothing more than that.” She admitted and I nodded, satisfied.

_Good. Make it stay that way._

“Keep it that way?” I asked and she nodded.

We heard the door opened and we stiffened. Learned trait.

“Click-Clack? Tic-Tac? Ruby? Where are you?” Our father opened our door and glared at us. “Haven’t seen you today, Tic-Tac. Where were you?”

“I was hanging out with Ruby and River.” She lied, easily.

“Oh. Very well.” He looked at me and scoffed. “I suppose you were with the _Trux.”_ He spoke ‘Trux’ as if it tasted bad.

“Y-Yes sir.” I responded with a nod. “I was helping R-Revvit w-with the—”

“I don’t care what you and that little _brat_ do in your free time. Especially up at the crater.” He rolled his eyes at me, forcing a shutter. “See Tic-Tac, you can never go up there. Its’ too dangerous.”

“Yeah, b-but… Revvit, Ace, Waldo and I have made r-really great friends with the Trux! T-They help us a-a-and we help them.” I tried to sugarcoat the upcoming question.

“Nonsense.” My father spat out. “A Trux is a Trux. Even if they don’t mean to, they will crush you. They can’t see where they’re going from where they stand. You’re simply a bitbug in their way. You could get flattened!”

“N-No… I-I mean, our friends protect us from the Trux that want to h-hurt us!” I defended, finding a small ounce of bravery.

“Unreliable. Especially coming from you.”

“But father, I really think t-that….”

“That what?” His glare frightened me, but I shook it off.

“T-T-That Tic-Tac should s-s-start coming w-w-with me to the c-crater!” I blurted out, and our father looked between us and growled, turning his gaze to my sister.

“You went topside… Didn’t you?” He then turned his glare towards me. “You inspired her to go.” He tightened his clamps on the ground. “How dare you put her in danger?!” He hit me. He hit me so I hit the floor, a few feet from where he stood.

“Father, no!” Tic-Tac yelled out, standing over me, protecting me. “I wanted to go on my own will! Even before Click-Clack and the others went topside. Please, don’t blame him and just let Ruby and I go!”

He growled, looking between us, and walked towards the door entrance.

“If either Tic-Tac or Ruby become harmed up there…. I’ll kill you.” He threatened, getting in my face. “Understand?”  
  


“Y-Y-Yes sir….” I managed to muster, and he hummed, somewhat satisfied with my answer.

“I’m going out.” And with that, he left, closing the door behind him.

Tic-Tac immediately turned around and looked me over as I sat up.

“Are you okay?” She asked, looking me over for injuries.

“I’m fine.” I brushed her off, looking the other way.

“Clicky… Ruby and I have permission to go. We can be free from him. We could live there if we wanted to.” I looked at her and shook my head.

“I’m not leaving mom. And you know he’ll never let her leave, not without reason.” I sighed in response and she shook her head.

“What’d we do?” She asked and I glared determined.

“You and Ruby will remain in the crater while I will continue living half here and half there.”  
  


“No!” She smacked the back of my head. “I’m not letting you take the hit for us! We’re the eldest, Click-Clack! Ruby and I should be taking the hit for you!”  
  


“You’re rough when you wanna be.” I rubbed the back of my head where she had smacked me.

“Part of my charm.” She smiled warmly at me. “But out of the question. Ruby and I will not leave you here alone.”

“Hello?” A sing-song voice filled the house and we exchanged glances, going to greet our sister. “There you guys are!” She gave us a hug. “Father took mom to see Eclipse on his way to work; I saw them on their way out.”

“Oh?” I asked, looking down.

_How did we not notice that?_

“I won’t sugarcoat it with you; she thinks mom’s getting worse. I think we should tell Eclipse about father.” I gave her a surprised look. “I know it was my idea to keep the secret in the first place, but it’s getting harder to hide. And look at you, Clicky. You have new clam-marks on your back. And what is this, Tortool paint to hide your scrapes?” I shuffled nervously, looking down.

_She’s smart… Everyone I know is. I’m surprised none of them have figured it out yet._

“Yeah. So what?” I asked her, not meeting her gaze.

“Click-Clack. He’s getting more dangerous. We have to get away somehow.” Ruby tried to reason with me.

“Ruby...” Tic-Tac spoke softly. “Clicky got permission from father to go topside.”

Ruby gasped, her eyes widened in surprise. And she smiled.

“So we have a leverage.” She nodded slowly. “This is good… Now we have options. We could even sneak mom up there if possible.”

“In her mental state?” I shook my head at the thought. “I don’t think it’s such a good idea. There are a lot of enemies that will attack us up there. Scraptors, D-Structs, Scrap-it, scrapadactyls, and a lot more. I don’t think it would be safe for her.”

“But would she be safer there, with the protection of the Trux, or here with father, with no protection from us while we’re not here.” I sighed at her statement, shaking my head.

_She would be a lot safter in the crater, with protection._

“I guess you’re right…. But we would have to talk to Eclipse, see what her medical opinion is. And I’d have to okay it with the Trux.”

“You sure you’re okay with that?” Ruby asked me, softly.

“Yeah….” I nodded slowly. “If we’re getting away from him, then I can do it.”  
  


“You know that Flame is what caused all your anxiousness in the first place.” Tic-Tac shook her head at that. “He ruined you.”

“I’m fine…” I told her, shaking my head. “And we will become better, I just have to talk it over with them.”

“I’ll come with you!” Tic-Tac exclaimed, happily. I nodded in approval.

“Alright, fine.” I told her and she smiled.

“I’ll stay here to see what Eclipse has to say.” Ruby commented and I agreed, the three of us heading out the door.

“This is so exciting!” Tic-Tac commented once we reached topside. “I was doing this in violation this morning, but now I can do this freely!”

“Yeah, I hope it’s worth it.” I teased her, bumping her on the shoulder.

“Hey! No fair!” She laughed, chasing me all the way to garage.

“What took so long?” Waldo asked once he saw me. “And why is Tic-Tac still with you?”

“I-I-I actually managed to get permission from father for Ruby and Tic-Tac to come here.” I explained, earning a surprised look from him, along with Revvit.

“Really?” Revvit asked, surprised.

“Sweet! Another girl on the team!” Ace exclaimed jumping down from the shelf.

“Two girls, actually.” Tic-Tac corrected her with a smile.

“How’d you manage to convince your hellbent father for your sisters to come along?” Waldo questioned and I shook my head.

“D-D-Don’t even ask…”

“And what did your mom say?” Revvit asked and I sighed, looking down.

“Her mental stability’s getting worse. She’s with your mom right now, Revvit.” I admitted, earning a saddened look from him.

“I am sorry. Is she working on doing more tests?” I nodded at that.

“Eclipse is incredibly good at what she does, Click-Clack. Don’t worry. Your mom will be fine in her clamps.” Ace tried to lighten my thoughts.

“I-I-I guess so.”

“Hey guys!” At that, the Trux drove in.

“DUDES, Tic-Tac’s back!” Ton-Ton exclaimed, driving in quickly.

“With father’s permission this time!” She exclaimed, happily. “But we do have a favor to ask.”

“Sure thing. What it is?” Ty asked and I took a shaky breath.

_Here we go…_

“O-o-our sister thinks i-it would be a g-good idea to bring our m-mother here. As in, t-to live.” I managed to stammer out.

“Your mother?” Skya asked and I nodded.

“How come?” Dozer asked and I sighed, shaking my head.

“My mom is very mentally unstable. And our sister thinks it would be a better idea to bring her here, with a fresh start in new territory.” I explained, earning sympathetic looks from them.

“Sure thing, Click-Clack.” Ty told me and I gave a smile.

“Thank you.”

“What’s wrong with your mom, Click-Dude?” Ton-Ton asked.

“Ton-Ton!” Everyone except Tic-Tac and I yelled at him.

“What?! I’m just curious!” Ton-Ton defended himself.

“You can’t just ask something like that!” Dozer yelled back at him.

“N-N-No, it’s okay. Um… We’re not quite sure… Her mind started slipping when I was young, and we just don’t know what she has or doesn’t have. But she has been getting worse lately.”

“So you have no idea what’s going on with her?” Skya asked and I shook my head.

“No.”

“We’ll find out soon enough.” The familiar voice of Ruby made me turn around. “Eclipse is narrowing it down. Slowly, but she’s getting close to the diagnosis.”

“Did she tell you anything?” I asked, anxiously. Only earning a shake of her head.

“Nothing we don’t already know.”

“My mother is never wrong with her diagnoses. She’ll find out what’s wrong in no time.” Revvit calmly stated and I nodded slowly.

“I-I hope so.”

“In the meantime, there is something we can do to help her. Like bring her here.” Ruby stated and Ty drove up to her a little bit.  
  


“Absolutely. We’ll do whatever we can to help.” Ty spoke up from behind us, Ruby gasped, taking a step back.

“Sorry… I’ve just, never seen a T-Trux up close before.” She laughed nervously. “I’ve never seen any Trux up close before. No offence, but you can be kind of terrifying.”

“No offence taken.” Dozer commented.

“Our problem still remains on how father will feel about this.” Ruby continued and I sighed, shaking my head.

“You know he respects my mothers’ opinion.” Revvit commented.

“There’s two sections of Flame’s brain. Things he respects, and things he doesn’t respect. And somehow medics ended up on the respect part.” Waldo put in and I sighed.

_And his own children ended up in the doesn’t respect._

“Between Click-Clacks dad and your dad, Rev, I don’t know which one is stricter.” Ace commented, earning a laugh from the most of us.

“Yeah, Gadget and Flame will always tie for that event.” Waldo shook his head in response.

“Then who’s kinder? Click-Clack or River?” Ruby bargained and everyone stayed silent for a moment.

_I’m not that kind to be compared to River, am I?_  
  


“Quit your worrying!” Tic-Tac smacked me on the back of the head, again.

“Ow!”

“Oh hush. You’re one of the kindest tools I’ve met!”

“You j-j-just have to say that because you’re my sister.” I stuttered and she laughed in response.

“No way! Just because you’re my brother, my twin brother, doesn’t mean I have to do anything. You know I do what I want.” I chuckled at that, shaking my head.

“Y-Y-Yeah, I know you do.”

“And you don’t let anyone forget it.” Ace teased her, bumping her on the shoulder.

“Doesn’t mean that I can’t be sneaky…” Tic-Tac pounced on Ruby, earning a surprised gasp from the elder.

“You’re gonna pay for that!” Ruby exclaimed, chasing after Tic-Tac. “Get back here!”

_This is sure going to be a new kind of interesting around here._


	2. Chapter 2

“N-N-No… We don’t belong out here, w-w-we belong in the ravine!” My mom hid in her shell, slinking down to the ground, much like I do all the time.

_Look at what he’s done to her… I will never forgive him._

“M-Mom, it’s okay.” I reassured my mother as we stepped up to the garage. “They’re nice, I promise. They won’t hurt you.”

“Clicky, we’re reptools… We don’t belong here.” The sparkle I once knew in my mom’s eyes was now gone.

_It’s all his fault…_

“B-B-But it’s to protect you. These Trux won’t hurt you.” She took a minute to think about it, nodding slowly.

“Don’t worry, Ember. If Click-Clack says these Trux are safe, then we have nothing to fear.” Revvit’s elder cousin by a year, River, spoke calmly to reassure her.

“O-O-Okay… I trust you two.” Mom than began to follow the two of us again, and we made it to the garage.

“Ember, glad to see you again.” Waldo waved and she nodded at him.

“Good to see you, Waldo.” She gave a small wave back.

“DUDES, Click-Clack’s back!” Ton-Ton drove up to us, causing River, mom, and I to back up. “Wow! You look just like Click-Clack!” He laughed at his statement. “I can see the resemblance.”

“M-Mom, this is Ton-Ton. Ton-Ton, this is my mom, Ember.” I introduced and she breathed slowly, nodding at the same pace.

“Hi Ember! We’re gonna have loads of fun! Do you like to go ramp jumping?”

“R-R-Ramp what?”

“You know- WHOOOOOO!!!!!!” He quickly spun his wheels, zooming around the garage and off the walls.

“Ton-Ton!” I heard Dozer yell, a bit angrily. 

_Simmer down a bit, Ton-Ton._

“Ton-Ton, will you keep it down? Try not to scare her.” Skya told the Ankylodump as she drove up to us, with more space than Ton-Ton provided. “Howdy Ember. Names’ Skya. And this is Dozer.”  
  


“Nice to meet you.”

“A pleasure to meet you both.” My mother bowed her head at them.

“Mom!” Tic-Tac waved from one of the higher shelves. “You’re here!”

“Tic-Tac, what’re you doing up there?” My mother asked, worried. “You could get hurt!”

_Too high for my liking… But not for Tic-Tac’s. She lives for danger._

“Don’t worry, mama!” Tic-Tac laughed, looking over the edge. “It’s totally saf—” It was that moment that she lost her footing and started to fall. “— WOAH!”  
  


“Tic-Tac!”

Luckily, Skya caught her with her hook before she hit the ground.

_Oh thank goodness!_

“Wheeee!” Tic-Tac laughed, safely being placed on the ground. “That was fun!”

“Fun?!” I exclaimed, surprised.

“You nearly gave me a heart attack!” Mom exclaimed, pulling my twin closer to her. “Never do that again!”

“Why not?”

“Because you’re seventeen! And I’m not losing any of my children as long as I’m still alive.”

_And because you don’t want to scare our mom to death!_

“You have nothing to worry about Ember.” Revvit hopped down from the lower shelves. “These Trux have protected us and saved us from all sorts of trouble. Compared to that fall, that was nothing compared to what we’ve all had to face.”

“And I’ll be hanging out here most of the time now, so if anything major happens, I’ll be able to fix anyone, Trux or Reptool.” River backed her cousin up.

“Don’t you still have training to go through?” Dozer questioned, earning a head shake from her.

“Not anymore. My trainings complete. Next week, I’ll be a full-fledged medic.” River announced, earning some surprised reactions.

“I thought you still had about a month left.” Revvit questioned River.

“Nope. Your mom had nothing more to teach me. She said that she’s taught me everything she knows, and I’m ready to be a full-time medic.”

“That’s awesome, Riv!” Ty exclaimed, driving the garage. My mother gasped, backing up a little bit.

“Mom, this is Ty.” I introduced. “I told you about him, remember?”

“Y-Y-Yes….” She stammered, looking at the Trux in question. “I just didn’t expect him to be so… Big.”

  
“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“Mother!” Ruby ran in the garage with Ace. “You’re here, good.”

“Nice to see you again, Miss Ember.”

“Ace, I’ve told you a million times. You can call me Ember.”

“It’s good to see you out of the ravine, Ember.” Waldo nodded at my mom, who returned the gesture.

“Thank you, Waldo. It’s strange…” She paused for a moment. “I was born in the ravine… I lived there all my life, never once stepped outside, not even when I was a teenager.” She gave a half-laugh in response. “But after 37 years, for the first time…. I feel at home.”

“That’s what the crater is: home.” Ty added and I agreed.

_More home than my home ever was._

“It’s more than home, mom. It’s where we’re surrounded by friends and family. And here, our friends feel like your family.” My words brought a smile to her face.

“And family’s always there at first sight of trouble.” Ace added onto that, which was shortly followed by a roar, causing me to hide in my shell from fear.

“Speaking of trouble…” Ty spoke quietly, rolling out of the garage, shortly followed by the other Trux.

“D-Structs again?” Waldo shook his head in disbelief. “His attacks are getting more frequent!”

“And closer too…” I shook as I saw the two T-Truxes’ begin to fight.

“T-T-That’s D-D-D-D-Structs?!” My mom asked, backing up closer to the garage.

“Wow! So these Trux fight him all the time?” Tic-Tac questioned and I nodded.

_It’s terrifying!_

  
“Yeah, pretty much.” Revvit replied. “His attacks are getting closer. More frequent. And he’s getting more dangerous.”

“Cool!” Tic-Tac exclaimed, her eyes widening in excitement.

“No! No, no, no! Not cool!” Ruby exclaimed, standing in front of her. “River, you’ve known D-Structs longer than any of us. Tell us what you know.”

“The entire time I knew him, D-Structs has only ever had one goal. To take over the entire crater. If you get in his path, and you’re working alongside Ty, he’ll kill you with a single smash of his wrecking ball,” River slammed her front treads on the ground. “just like that.”

“Surely even D-Structs has good in him.” Tic-Tac suggested and I shook my head disagreement.

“Tic-Tac, when it comes to Trux like these, they’ll never change.”

“Indeed. Trux and Tools alike have allowed so much darkness in their hearts that is clouds their thinking.” Revvit added and I agreed with him.

“I’m sure there is good in everyone.” Tic-Tac tried to reason.

_Tell that to our father._

“Not D-Structs.” Waldo commented. “There’s no good in him.”

“Fine.” Tic-Tac huffed, shaking her head. “It’s a shame though.”

_A shame? Really?_   
  


“What’s a shame?” Ty asked, coming in with the other Trux after fighting D-Structs.

“That we live in a society where we’re set to believe Trux are bad.”

“Not all Trux are bad, Tic.” Revvit told her. “Some Tools are bad too. That’s why we have to be careful.”

“How come? Why can’t we trust creatures and know that we won’t get hurt.”

“Because we can’t.” Mom spoke up. “The world is a dangerous place. And we never know who to trust.”

“Then how do you know?”

“You don’t. that’s what makes the world interesting.” Mom told my sister with a sigh. “Tic-Tac. What’s written on a creatures’ face, is not always what’s in their hearts.”

“That’s some solid advice right there, dudes!” Ton-Ton exclaimed from right behind me, making me jump in surprise, hiding in my shell and lose a few bits. I heard my sisters laughing, I looked up at them out of the corner of my eye.

“Nice one, bit loser.” Tic-Tac laughed and I removed myself from my shell, quickly picking up the bits I lost, and looking at her.

“I’d like to see you do better, tail spritzer.”

“Clamp shaker.” Before I could shoot another insult, our mother stepped in between us.

“Alright you two, that’s enough.” Tic-Tac stuck his tongue out at me, earning a look from mom, she then immediately put her tongue away.

“Do you guys fight like that all the time?” Skya asked, causing Tic-Tac and I to look at each other and laugh.

“We’re not fighting. That’s just they way we interact with each other.” Tic-Tac responded.

“You haven’t seen fighting yet.” Ruby commented with a chuckle. “Tic-Tac and I go to war when we fight.”  
  


“Yeah… It’s terrifying.” I admitted, hiding in my shell once again.

“You two are almost-siblings. How come you two don’t fight?” Ace asked Revvit and River, who just looked at each other and laughed.

“Because we’ve never had a reason to.” River commented with a shake of her head. “Fighting is ridiculous, in my mind.”

“It is true. Even if we did end up fighting, my parents would never allow us to continue.” Revvit added onto that.

“Oh yeah, aren’t your parents super strict or something?” Dozer asked and he nodded.

  
“My mom’s a lot leaner, she lets me do what I please. But my dad doesn’t see it that way. It took a lot of convincing on her part to let me come topside.”

“Yeah, he’s crazy strict. No wonder he’s leader of the ravine.” River commented with a shake of her head.

“Your Dad’s leader of the ravine?” Skya asked, surprised.

“Yeah. And he wants me to be the next leader. But I don’t want that responsibility, it would keep me away from here.”

_That’s understandable. He would rather be here than training under his father or becoming like his father. I can relate completely._

“Dude, that’s like, super relatable.” Ton-Ton sighed dramatically. “You know what we should do?!”

“What?” Dozer asked, little annoyance in his voice.

“Play PaTunk!” He exclaimed, earning several voices of agreement.

“Let’s do it then!” T y exclaimed as they went outside the garage to play a game of PaTunk.

Four days. There were four days of peace before trouble began.

“Uh, guys. We got trouble.” Revvit spoke calmly, looking out the garage.

“W-W-What kind of trouble?” I asked, standing beside him. I gasped softly, taking a step back.

_Flame._

“Get inside, warn your mother and sisters.” Waldo told me, walking up beside me. I nodded in agreement, racing over to my sisters. 

_The Trux went on an ore run at the worst possible time!_

“Ruby!” I exclaimed, skiing to a stop. “Father’s here.”

“What?” She exclaimed, steeping in front of me to see father by Revvit and Waldo. We looked over towards mother, who was smiling at something Ace told her. “I’ll warn mother, you stay with Tic-Tac.” She wasted no time, quickly walking towards our mom.

“Why is he here?” I asked aloud. “He always told us he hates the outside, why would he come up here?”

“I don’t know…” Tic-Tac said barely above a whisper.

“Flame, you’re not permitted here!” Revvit tried to block the older tool, but he got shoved back slightly. Not hard enough to hurt him, but enough to knock him off balance.

_He never really liked Revvit…_

“Girls, Click-Clack. We’re going home.” He ordered us, pointing his tail at the entrance.

“We’re not going anywhere with you.” Ruby stood in front of us, in protection mode.

“Ruby. You all belong at the ravine.”

“We belong here.” A small ounce of bravery caused me to stand up to him.

_Surely, he won’t hurt us in front of everyone…._

_“_ Click-Clack…” He spoke calmly, a rare occurrence. “You’re not an adult. Not yet. You’re not hardly grown. You can’t possibly know the first thing of how to take care of women.”

“They can take care of themselves,” I shot him a glare. “it’s you I’m worried about being here. We brought mom here because she’s sick, and she can’t get better with you here.”

I noticed the confusion on Ace, Revvit, River and Waldo’s face, but I ignored it.

“She can get better at the ravine, where it’s safe.” He softly growled, looking me in the eye. “You know nothing of how to take care of her.”

“Mom has been doing just fine on her own, away from you.” Tic-Tac added, standing beside me. “And we don’t need you.”

“Tic-Tac, please—”

“Leave.” I told him, looking away.

“Click-Clack, look at me.” I did as he said but didn’t give him the respect I would anyone else. “Son. You will respect me when you look me in the eye.”

“Don’t call me son. And I don’t have respect for the likes of you.”

That’s when things got physical.

“What’d you say to me, tool?” He asked, pulling me by my hex bit.

“Dad, no!” Ruby begged him, but she was frozen in fear.

“HUSH!” He yelled, gripping me tighter. “You think you know everything, huh?” I shook my head, slightly in fear. “Stop shaking!”  
  


“Flame, let the kid go.” Waldo told him, trying everything in his power to hold back his anger.

“He’s not your son, Waldo. He’s mine.”

“He also has a mind of his own and I can see he doesn’t want you to do that.”

“A mind of his own? My son?” He laughed in response. “Don’t make me laugh. The way I see it, he’s nothing but a waste of scrap in this world!” He pulled me by my bit, managing to kick me in the air a few feet, and kick me across the garage.

“Click-Clack!” I heard Revvit yell as I hit my head on the wall, causing everything to go black.

“Click-Clack? Click-Clack?” I opened my eyes a little, to see a blurry blue reptool. “Good. You’re awake.” I looked around, only seeing Revvit and Tic-Tac. “Alright, what’s your name?”

“Click-Clack.” I answered, easily.

“How old are you?”

“Seventeen.”

“Where are you right now?” I looked around for that question, things still a little blurry.

“The garage.”

“Alright, good. You’re responsive.” The blue reptool smiled, satisfied.

“What happened?” I asked the reptool, now recognizing her as Eclipse.

“What’s the last thing you remember, Click-Clack?” She asked me and I thought for a moment.

_“Flame, let the kid go.”_

_“He’s not your son, Waldo. He’s mine.”_

_“He also has a mind of his own and I can see he doesn’t want you to do that.”_

_“A mind of his own? My son? Don’t make me laugh. The way I see it, he’s nothing but a waste of scrap in this world!”_

_“Click-Clack!”_

“My Dad— Flame threw me. I hit my head.”

“Okay, good.” Eclipse nodded. “Do you know why he did that?”

“He got mad at me, I guess.” I looked down, sadly.

“Has this kind of thing happened before?” Revvit asked, earning a glare from his mother.

“Well, I-I… Um….” I stammered, shaking a bit.

“It’s okay, Click-Clack.” She pushed Revvit back a little. “We’ll ask more questions later. Can you stand?”  
  


I tried to stand up, I was shaky, but I was alright.

_I can’t believe he came here like that…. What was he thinking!?_

“Eclipse, Rev. can I talk to my brother alone?” Tic-Tac asked, earning a nod from Eclipse.

“Sure thing, sweetheart. Revvit, let’s go.” The unusually green tool looked at me and then shortly followed his mother.

“It’s gotten too far. He targeted us where we felt safe.”  
  


“I know.” I shook my head in defeat. “And he hates topside. I-I-I-I don’t understand.”  
  


“I’m pretty sure everyone knows by now,” Tic-Tac looked down. “but we should tell Waldo how long this has been going on.”  
  


“Tic-Tac—”

“I know, it’s a crazy thing to do.”

“Tic-Tac—”

“But I think we could use some leverage on this.”

“Tic-Tac—”

“You have the most proof from scars on your body, so I think we could use that.”

“Tic-Tac—”

“And I know we’ve kept it this long, and I know you won’t agree but—”

“Tic-Tac!” I spoke louder, getting her attention. “I agree with you.”  
  


“What? Really?”  
  


“Yes. Flame’s gone too far…. I don’t necessarily know what Waldo can do about it, and Flame is best friends with Revvit’s Dad… But I think we should tell him.” My twin smiled, giving me a hug.

“O-O-Okay, we’re hugging.” I half-laughed, returning the gesture.

“We tell him as soon as possible, right?” I nodded at her, giving her a smile.

“Right.”

I admired my twin’s determination and passion. She was the strongest tool I knew. But by the time I found mine, she wouldn’t be there to see it.


	3. Chapter 3

“Come on! We can’t be late!” I raced after Tic-Tac, us sliding down to the ravine just in time.

“You made it.” Revvit smiled, as he seemed to physically relax.

“As if we’d miss this.” I told him, sitting beside him.

_River’s been anxiously waiting for her medical ceremony. The only two that couldn’t make it were my mother and Ace, who stayed behind to watch my mom in case the Trux needed to head out for something._

“Welcome, welcome.” Eclipse said hello to everyone at the ceremony. “For the past four years, I have been teaching my niece everything there is to know about being a medic. And she really has a knack for it. Nine years ago, my husband, Gadget, and I took her in as one of our own when my sister passed away.” She held her breath for a moment but continued on. “River has had many challenges along the way. Her leg did not form correctly, but she didn’t let that stop her. River, come here.”

River walked, as best as she could, towards Eclipse, who gave her a smile.

“River. Do you swear to help reptools in times of need?”

“I do.”  
  


“Do you swear to help reptools outside this ravine?”

“I do.”  
  


“Even when a reptool denies help, do you swear to do everything in your power to save them?”

“I do.”  
  


“From this day on, and by the power vested in me, I now announce you, River, as a full-fledged medic.”

“WHOOO THAT’S MY BEST FRIEND!” Tic-Tac screamed, causing the rest of us to jump and me hide in my shell for a moment, but laugh all the same.

“Congratulations, River.” Revvit told River once she came over to us.

“Thank you. It’s so surreal, there were times that I didn’t think I could do it.”

_So many tools told her she couldn’t, only because of her leg. Yes, her leg will never be healed, but that won’t stop her from doing things that she wants to do._

“Well, you did. And we’re proud of you.” Waldo told her, earning a smile from her.

“Some of these tools told you that you couldn’t. But you did. You proved them wrong.” I bumped her with my tail, and she laughed.

“Thank you, guys.” River smiled at us. Shortly after, Revvit cleared his throat.

“Flame incoming.” He whispered to us, causing me to look in Revvit’s line of sight, to see the red tool coming up to us.

_Great. The last thing we need. Good thing we told Waldo and the others what happened. He tried to get Flame out of the ravine, or at least away from us, but Flame has backup, and that backup is named Gadget._

“River. Congratulations.” He nodded at River who just stared him down. “I’ll be honest, I didn’t think you could do it.”  
  


“Yeah, that much was clear.” The normally calm tool rolled her eyes at him.

“Click-Clack,” I averted my eyes away from him. “how about you come back home? With your sisters and mother?” It wasn’t a question, even if he made it seem like it was.

“No.” I answered with a shake of my head. “I’m not coming back. None of us are. We come back for tools who care about us, and that’s it. We’re not coming back for likes of you.”

“Son, come on.” He stepped towards me, causing Revvit to step up as well. “Revvit, this is not your place.”

“Click-Clack is one of my best friends. It’s my place.” The green tool glared at him.

_I can always count on him to stand up for me._

“You know nothing about how they’re supposed to behave.” Flame sneered, earning a low growl from Revvit.

“Behave? They’re not objects to be controlled! They’re living beings, just like you and me.”

“You don’t know anything of how I control them. I created them, I married her. They belong to me.”

“Enough.” Waldo stepped between us.

“Revvit, Click-Clack, Tic-Tac, and River. Go back to the garage.” Ruby told us, standing beside Waldo.

Slowly, the four of us made our way in silence until all of us were topside. We walked slowly before River broke the silence.

“Don’t worry,” River spoke softly. “Ruby is tough, and so is Waldo. They won’t go down without a fight.”

“I know that…” I looked down, sadly. “But we can’t even go to the ravine without him threatening us.”

“Could you two leave us alone for a few minutes?” Tic-Tac asked the elder two.

“Sure. We’ll see you back at the garage.” Revvit walked alongside his cousin, the both of us waiting until they were out of earshot.

“I don’t think we should go to the ravine anymore.” Tic-Tac blurted out and I looked at her, surprised.

“Tic-Tac!”

“He’s trying to control us! We’re in our own area here, we’re safe. River’s going to spend most of her time here anyways, so we have a medic for emergencies. We’re in a good place. We just have to cut him off completely and that is to stop going to the ravine.” My twin was dead set on this, she was serious. I let out a sigh and nodded.

“Fine. But we’re not doing this all at once. We’ll talk to Waldo and see what—” I was interrupted by a flying tree branch, scaring us, sending us back a few feet.

“What was that?!” Tic-Tac exclaimed, in shock and slight fear.

I looked from where the tree branch came from, narrowing my eyes and gasped, hearing an all-too-familiar roar.

_D-structs._

“Run.” I told her, following her as she ran as fast as she could.

“Where to?! The garage?” Tic-Tac asked and I shook my head.

“No! If the Trux are gone, the other tools will be ambushed.” I exclaimed, jumping over a rock, and hiding behind it, Tic-Tac doing the same. “We may not outrun him though. And we can’t lead him to the ravine….”

“Reptools! Come out here and face me!” D-Structs yelled and we slinked down to stay hidden.

“Yeah!” Scrap-It twitched. “Come out here and face him!”

“We’ll have to risk it, Clicky. We have to run.” Tic-Tac whispered and I nodded.

  
“As fast as you can,” I told her, placing my clamp on hers. “don’t look back. Just run.”

“What if you get caught?” She looked into my eyes.

“Don’t come back for me, just run.” I told her. “You come look for me when D-Structs is gone, not before.” Tic-Tac shook her head, not liking the plan. “You understand?”

  
“You know, I’m 12 seconds older than you.” She teased and I smiled, rolling my eyes.

“Just go.” And at that, we ran. I heard Scrap-It twitch and yell out.

“There they are!”

“Keep running, Tic!”

“Where?!”

“Edge of The Flatirons! Yes, it’s out in the open, but if the Trux happen to be on some type of run, they can help us out.”

We ran as past as our feet could take us, D-Structs nearly grabbed us by our tails a couple of times, causing us both to scream but not get caught all the same.

_Don’t stop… Keep running. Don’t give up._

“Woah!” Tic-Tac skied to a stop, which caused me to do the same, and just in time.

“Oh no…” I whispered, looking down.

“A cliff,” she whispered, looking around. “and no way around it.” I looked behind us and jumped, hiding in my shell.

“And no way away from it!” I shook in fear, my bits shaking.

“HEADS UP!” Before either of us knew what happened, something, or rather someone hit D-Structs. “You tools need some help?”

“Garby!” I exclaimed, removing myself from my shell.

“He can only distract D-Structs for so long… And we need a quick way out of here.” I hummed, spinning my bits.

“What’re you thinking?” I looked around, seeing a large chuck of tree branch, and nearby was a cut off tree stump, most likely struck by lightning from our previous storm.

“Help me out!” I told her, running towards the broken tree branch, Tic-Tac following behind me and pushing it towards the tree stump, placing it overtop it. “Now we just need counterweight…”

“Here you go!” Garby shot out on of his bricks, but D-Structs broke it before it shot over to us.

“He’s not going to be able to shoot it towards us…” Tic-Tac looked around and started to climb a tree.

“W-W-What are you doing?” I asked her and she sighed, closing her eyes.   
  


“I love you, Click-Clack.” She told me, jumping on the other side, causing me to go flying.

I screamed as I flew through the air, bringing my clamps over my eyes. Eventually, I hit the ground, hard.

“Click-Clack?!” I opened my eyes to see River. “Are you okay?”

“D-Structs! Garby! Tic-Tac! Cliff! Tree! Flying!” I managed to get out, hiding in my shell.

“D-Structs attacked you and you and Tic-Tac ran until you met a cliff and you thought you were done for until Garby came and saved you and Tic-Tac jumped from a tree to send you flying from a large chunk of tree branch?!” River asked and I nodded slowly.

“Tic-Tac’s in danger?” Ruby exclaimed from fear.

“How on earth did you get all that?” Dozer asked her.

“You learn to speak Click-Clack after awhile. Come on, we better get going!” River exclaimed, after managing to climb onto Ton-Ton.

“You sure Riv? Do you really think its safe for—”

“DRIVE THEM WHEEL TON-TON!” She yelled, causing Ton-Ton to speed up.

“Yes ma’am!”

“They’re the other way!” I yelled at them, causing Ton-Ton to go the other way.

“They’re the other way!”

“If Garby wasn’t able to hold him off, Tic-Tac could be in real danger.” Revvit commented, sitting on Ty.

“Then let’s get moving!” Ty commented, the Trux speeding up.

“Look! There they are!” Skya yelled out, seeing D-Structs, who just at that moment managed to flip Garby over. “You tools better stay here.” At that, Revvit, River, Ruby and I jumped off. 

“Please… Save her.” I whispered, very quietly.

“Finally…” I heard D-Struct sneer, bringing his grappling hook over toward Tic-Tac, I heard her scream as he managed to grab her.

“No!” I yelled out.  
  


“Tic-Tac!” Ruby exclaimed in fear.

“D-Structs! Let her go!” Ty yelled, not attacking him quite yet.

_He’ll hurt her for sure if they attack…_

“No Ty. I realized that you have too many reptools on your side. Surely missing one won’t be a big deal.” I dug my claws into the ground at his comment.

“This is between you and me, D-Structs. Tic-Tac has nothing to do with it.”

“But she does… She helps with your builds, your repairs. She’s a tool, so she has everything to do with it.”

“Oh shut up your sorry excuse for scrap metal!”

“Oh no…” River mumbled.

_No! Don’t egg him on, Tic!_

“You think you can break me?! Go ahead and try. Kill me? For what? Revenge? Vengeance? Yeah right! I’m stronger than you’ll ever be!” The red reptool yelled out and D-Structs sneered, tightening his claw.

“And to show she has everything to do with it…” D-Structs flew her up in the air, across the flatirons.

“Tic-Tac!” I yelled out in fear. She landed within earshot of us, but enough so D-Structs didn’t see us. When she landed, she was broken. Blue vital fluid spewed from her body, from her legs to her head. Her right from leg looked unusable. Her tail was broken. All her bits were lost. But still, she had no fear in her eyes.

“Click-Clack…” She managed to breathe out so only I, who stood the closest to her could hear. “Let them know, I fought until the end.” Before any of us could move to help her, D-Structs ran right over her.

“NO!” Ruby screamed, tears beginning to fall.

I felt a severe tightness in my chest and felt like something was crushing my heart.

“Click-Clack?” I heard the muffled voice of Revvit ask.

I clawed the ground, falling to the ground.

And I screamed.

*POV Switch: River*

“Click-Clack!” I exclaimed, immediately looking him over.

“What’s wrong with him?!” Ruby asked, quickly standing beside me.

“He’s experiencing the cutting bond of twins! If we don’t get him back to the garage now, he will die!” I exasperated, looking for a way out.

_No dragonflopters around, no way to run without D-Structs chasing us, especially with my limp and Click-Clack on one of our backs…_

“GET OUT OF HERE, D-STRUCTS!” Ty’s scream followed by a roar scared me out of my senses.

“Fine. I got what I needed.” The elder Trux left, causing the Trux to focus on us.

“Dudes…” Ton-Ton whispered, looking at Tic-Tac’s lifeless body.

_‘Be the medic that you want to be. Have everyone look up at you in awe, and you will be the greatest medic the ravine has ever seen.’_

My Aunt’s words caused me to become serious.

“We cannot focus on Tic-Tac as of now. We must take Click-Clack back to the garage. If we don’t get him there immediately, we are going to lose him forever. Is that clear?!” I asked, determination in my eyes.

“Ton-Ton, it’s on you! You’re the fastest we got!” Skya exclaimed and the blue-coded Trux nodded.

“Hop on!” He exclaimed, causing me to jump into his bed, Skya hooking Click-Clack to her hook, and placing him beside me.

“Revvit, get your mother and tell her to meet us back at the garage.” The younger tool nodded, already rushing back the ravine. “Now go! Click-Clack’s life is now in our hands.” I told him and he sped off, faster than I’ve ever felt before. I noticed the Trux and other tools falling shortly behind us.

Ton-Ton sped to a stop once we reached the garage, carefully dumping us near the medical station.

“What happened?!” I heard Waldo yell, him running up to me with Ace and Ember.

“I can’t talk and work at the same time! The others will fill you in once they get here, so for now just wait!” I ordered, causing Waldo to shut up.

I felt for sign of life and gasped when I felt there was little sign of it.

_Damnit!_

  
“Okay…” I whispered, activating my tail shock. “Everybody back up now!” I warned, bringing my tail shock to Click-Clack. No response. “Come on!” I shocked him again, still no response. “Come on, Clicky. Give me life.” I shocked him a third time. This time, there was a sign.

Click-Clack coughed, taking a deep breath and shook.

“Okay!” I smiled, placing my clamp on his shoulder. “You’re okay. You’re alive.” I heard the others sigh in relief, and saw Eclipse run up to us. She quickly checked him over, gave a small smile and nodded at me.

“Good job, River. You just saved his life.” I nodded at her but didn’t smile.

“What even happened?” Waldo asked, looking over at Click-Clack.

“Yeah! You never have to use your tail shock until a tools heart has stop—” Ace stopped mid-sentence, looking around. “Where’s Tic-Tac?”

_I can’t tell them…_

“There was…. An incident.” Revvit spoke quietly, looking down.

At that moment, the Trux rolled in. Skya holding a lifeless Tic-Tac with her hook. She sat her down slowly.

“No…” Ember muttered softly, slowly walking towards Tic-Tac, which quickly broke into a run. “NO!” She screamed, laying herself on Tic-Tac’s body. “My little girl, no…” She nudged her face gently. “Please don’t let this be real… Please, just wake up…”

“I’m sorry…” I heard Click-Clack mumble softly. “It’s my fault…” Click-Clack began to cry softly, and I immediately sat myself by him.

“It’s not your fault, Clicky.” I told him, looking down. “These things… Just happen.”

“They don’t just happen.” Ruby had anger in her eyes. “D-Structs…. He killed her.” She growled, shaking her head. “He’s not just a thief and a bully, now he’s a murderer.”

“He’s crossed a line today…” Dozer shook his head, looking over at Tic-Tac. “He killed a tool.”

“Not just a tool, Dozer.” Ty looked over at Click-Clack. “But family.”

“She wanted….” Click-Clack closed his eyes in pain, slowly standing up, despite protest from Eclipse and me. “She wanted me to tell everyone…. That she fought until the end.”

“She was strong…” Waldo looked down, sadly.

“Brave.” Ace added.

“She was crazy.” I smiled, remembering the crazy stunts we always pulled.

“She was also compassionate.” Ruby stifled a smile. “She always knew what to say.”

“She was smart too.” Revvit looked down, pure sadness in his eyes. “Although younger than me, she had just as much knowledge, if not more.”

“She wasn’t good at working under pressure…” Eclipse added. “But she would jump into anything if you asked her too.”

“She was so adventurous…” Ember whispered, looking up at us for the first time. “When she was little, I saw so much of her in myself.”

“Determined.” Click-Clack spoke up. “She is— Was the most determined tool I knew.” He closed his eyes in pain, remembrance. “She was a light…... She was a light that was never meant to go out.”

“I hate to do this…” Eclipse spoke up. “But we have to tell the ravine. And prepare a farewell ceremony.”

“And tell her father….” Ember muttered softly.

_Flame…. Click-Clack might be in danger from him. He blames Click-Clack for everything, but surely Tic-Tac will be an exception._

I looked over at my best friends’ lifeless body and sighed.

_Please…. Watch over Click-Clack. Let him be safe._


	4. Chapter 4

She was dead. My twin sister was dead. And it’s all my fault… I killed her. If I could’ve gotten us out of that mess, we would’ve both survived.

  
  


_It should’ve been me._

  
  


Revvit tells me it’s not my fault. ‘There was nothing you could have done,’ and that ‘She died saving her best friend.’ But she never should have…. She never should’ve died in the first place.

  
  


_“We’ll have to risk it, Clicky. We have to run.”_

  
  


_“What if you get caught?”_

  
  


_“You know, I’m 12 seconds older than you.”_

  
  


_“A cliff…. And no way around it.”_

  
  


_“He’s not going to be able to shoot it towards us…”_

  
  


_“I love you, Click-Clack.”_

  
  


_“Oh shut up your sorry excuse for scrap metal! You think you can break me?! Go ahead and try. Kill me? For what? Revenge? Vengeance? Yeah right! I’m stronger than you’ll ever be!"_

  
  


_“Click-Clack……. Let them know, I fought until the end.”_

  
  


I shook my head, trying to remove the trauma from my head. It hurts. Not so much of my body anymore, but the fact that I’ll never see her again… That hurts. That hurts more than anything.

  
  


“Click-Clack?” River walked up to me. “How’s the pain?”

  
  


“Fine…” I muttered, softly.

  
  


“I know it’s a terrible question, but I do need to know what your pain level is.”

  
  


“Physically on a scale of my heart being ripped out of my chest… Or the thought of never seeing my best friend again?” I asked her and she sighed.

  
  


“Click-Clack, I know she was special to you. Two tools born in the same egg, it’s quite rare.” I looked away from her.

  
  


“Yeah. Tell me something I don’t know.” I growled at her and she sighed, looking down.

  
  


_It’s not her fault. She’s just trying to help._

  
  


Before I could apologize, a bold voice scared the both of us.

  
  


“What happened to Tic-Tac?!” Flame asked, storming in.

  
  


“Father please!” Ruby begged, chasing after him.

  
  


My sister had volunteered to tell our father after the incident. But he came to the garage anyways. The Trux had gone out for a scrap run with Ace and Waldo, knowing that we needed time alone for a little while.

  
  


“Ruby tells me she’s dead! What the hell happened?!”

  
  


“Flame, please. It was all a terrible accident.” Revvit volunteered to tell the story, but nearly got his head bitten off by him.

  
  


“I want to hear it from him.” He stormed over towards me, as I took a few steps back from fear. Luckily, I had someone to help me out.

  
  


“He will not be telling you anything.” Eclipse stood in front of me, just like she would many times for me and Revvit growing up. “Click-Clack experienced his heart being torn in half, and it has a huge impact on the body. He needs rest.”

  
  


_I really don’t…. But anything to keep away from him, I will take._

  
  


“Eclipse,” The red tool sneered. “I want to discus with my son how my daughter died. So move!” The blue tool didn’t even blink as my father got in her face, threateningly.

  
  


“Flame, I am a medic. And I am to be respected as such. So as long as you’re in my medical operations, or River’s operations, you will do as such.” My father then realized that he was standing in Eclipse’s medical territory, something he has always respected. “Someone else will certainly tell you how your daughter died. Revvit?”

  
  


“Fine.” He turned around, looking at Revvit once again. “Tell it.”

  
  


“We were walking here from the ravine, and Tic-Tac asked to talk to Click-Clack alone, so River and I made our way to the garage. They got attacked by D-Structs. He had chased them all the way to the edge of the flatirons, towards a cliff. They were trapped, but our friend Garby kept D-Structs busy. That’s when Click-Clack had the idea to put a big tree branch over a tree stump, but they didn’t have a counterweight, and Garby’s bricks weren’t working. That’s when Tic-Tac jumped onto it from a nearby tree, sending Click-Clack flying over towards the garage. By the time we all got there, D-Structs had Tic-Tac in his grappling hook. She trash talked him, and he threw her far, but not before clawing her with said-grappling hook. Before any of us could do anything, he rolled right over her, killing her instantly. Click-Clack felt the pain immediately, and River had to shock him back to life.”

  
  


Flame growled, looking back at me with glaring daggers. There was hate in his eyes. Something I’ve experienced many times before, but… This was different.

  
  


“So this is your fault?!” He yelled, storming over towards me, extending his clamps at me. “I have half a mind to end you right here!” I closed my eyes, preparing myself for the hit. But it never came. I opened my eyes to see River, with a fresh claw-mark on her shoulder.

  
  


“River!” Revvit exclaimed in worry, shocked at what my father just did.

  
  


“I’m fine…” She eased her cousins worries, then sent glares at Flame. “What do you think you’re doing?"

  
  


“River…” He growled at the medic. “Move. This isn’t your place, especially because of your…. Cripple.” He looked from her back right leg back to her eyes and she growled.

  
  


“This isn’t about me, or my limp. You think this behavior is okay? This isn’t the first time you’ve tried to hit Click-Clack, is it?”

  
  


“Well, its—”

  
  


“IS IT?!” The teal tool was angry now. Angrier than anybody has ever seen her.

  
  


_If someone_ _has gotten River angry, then they’ve really messed up._

  
  


“He hid his scars with Tortool paint.” Revvit shot the same type of glares at Flame. “Why do you think that is?”

  
  


_To hide the scars that scratched my paint._

  
  


Flame growled, turning to look at me.

  
  


“You told them?! How dare you even speak of it!”

  
  


“I didn’t tell them, Tic-Tac did!” I finally spoke up, clawing my clamps to the ground. “But why do you care? It’s not as if you loved us anyways!”

  
  


“Your father does love you, Click-Clack.” This time, my mother spoke up, surprising all of us. “And so do I. we love you so much it hurts.”

  
  


“Why are you defending him?!” Ruby growled, eyes piercing through like daggers. “You’ve seen what he’s done to Click-Clack! To Tic-Tac! To me! To all of us! Why do you still defend him, mother?!”

  
  


“Because no matter what, I still love him!” Our mother had tears in her eyes, shaking her head. “Just as I love you. And your siblings.”

  
  


“Stop.” Ruby growled, shaking her head. “If you loved us, you wouldn’t be doing this.”

  
  


“That’s enough! Your mother is in pain of losing her daughter. Leave it at that, Ruby.” Our father spoke up, stepping up to Ruby, forcing her to back up in fear.

  
  


“It’s time you’ve learned the truth, Click-Clack!” Mom spoke harshly causing me to slink down in fear. “When I look at you… All I see if what you could have been.”

  
  


“What?” I whispered softly, tears in my eyes. I saw the surprised looks of Revvit, River and Eclipse. And the angered look of my elder sister.

  
  


“You could have been training to be a leader at your age. Or a medic. You could have been my greatest achievement! But when I look at you,” She turned away from me. “I see weakness.”

  
  


“Mom!” I gasped in shock. I expected this treatment from my father. But from my mom?

  
  


_She hates me… Just like father._

  
  


“I’m sorry. But you needed to hear it. These builds are a waste of time and energy. It’ll kill you, being up here. Just like it did to your sister.” She sighed, walking away, not caring to see the tears in my eyes. “I will be heading back to the ravine.”

  
  


“Mom!” Ruby exclaimed, jumping forward. “Y-You can’t!”

  
  


“Enough, Ruby. It is my duty to stand beside your father. You will realize your duties in given time. And if we’re lucky, Click-Clack will realize his.” And with that, the two left.

  
  


“Mother!” Ruby yelled after her, groaning in anger and hitting a rock when she ignored her.

  
  


_This is all my fault…_

  
  


“Here, let’s get something for that wound.” Eclipse focused on River, who reluctantly nodded, but still looked to me.

  
  


_It’s your fault… Your mom, your parents hate you because of Tic-Tac’s death._

  
  


“Click-Clack?” Ruby walked up to me, earning my eye. “Are you okay?”

  
  


That’s what set it off.

  
  


“NO! I’m not okay, Ruby! My twin is dead and it’s all my fault!” I ran. I ran as fast as I could, out of the garage.

  
  


“Click-Clack, wait!” Revvit called after me, but I ignored him.

  
  


_It’s my fault! It’s my fault she’s dead!_

  
  


If I had never been so upset about father, she would’ve never asked Revvit and River to go on ahead!

  
  


_“It’s time you’ve learned the truth, Click-Clack!”_

  
  


_“When I look at you… All I see if what you could have been.”_

  
  


_“You could have been training to be a leader at your age. Or a medic. You could have been my greatest achievement! But when I look at you,”_

  
  


_“I see weakness.”_

  
  


_“I’m sorry. But you needed to hear it. These builds are a waste of time and energy. It’ll kill you, being up here. Just like it did to your sister.”_

  
  


I skied to a stop after I reached the forest and I broke into tears, laying my head between my clamps. I just cried. My heart hurt, but not from being torn apart. From the loss of my sister.

  
  


“How could I have been so STUPID?!” I yelled out, bursting into even more tears.

  
  


“Clicky? Is that you?” I stiffened, not recognizing the voice right away. I relaxed when I realized it was Garby.

  
  


“Oh… Garby.” I sniffed, sitting up, trying to wipe away my tears. “It’s just you.”

  
  


“Hey buddy, what are you so upset about?” I gave him a look and he understood immediately. “Oh… That tool was your sister, wasn’t she?”

  
  


“Y-Y-Yeah….” I shut my eyes tightly for a moment but looked up to him. “Th-Thank you for distracting D-Structs… By the way. That was very b-b-brave.”

  
  


“You were brave too, you know?” I shook my head at his statement.

  
  


“I doubt that.”

  
  


_Brave? Not a chance. Weak? Mom was right, I am weak._

  
  


“No, I mean it! Not everyone can make a catapult in seconds. I’m just sorry I couldn’t shoot one of my bricks over to you guys.” Garby looked sad, surprising me.

  
  


“I-I-Its not your fault… You tried your best.” I tried to convince him, earning a smile from the Stegarbasaur.

  
  


“Ha! You see!” His sudden change in attitude made me jump. “You should be telling yourself the same thing.”

  
  


“Why?” I asked, looking down. “All my parents will ever see me as is weak…. Even my mom thinks so.” That earned a confused look from Garby.

  
  


“What’d you mean?” I sighed, shaking my head.

  
  


“She told me… That when she looks at me, all she sees is what I could have been.” I looked in the other direction, fresh tears threatening to spill. “I’m a disappointment. I think I’ve always known that… But at least my mother loved me… I thought she did anyways.”

  
  


“Surely she still cares about you?” Garby tried to lighten the mood but didn’t succeed. I shook my head, looking down.

  
  


“I don’t think so…”

  
  


“Well…” Garby thought for a moment. “Don’t you have any other family?”

  
  


“Ruby. My older sister by five years. She’s great, I love her. But she doesn’t understand me. Not like Tic-Tac and my mom did… If she ever did. My father never understood me. His ways to getting tools to understand him were with his clamps, which he always used forcefully.”

  
  


“Well… Family isn’t always through blood, you know?” I looked at Garby, confused. “Family… Is someone who is with you until the end. Someone who puts your needs before theirs, and will protect you until the end of time.”

  
  


“But who could ever want to be a part of my family?” I asked, sadly.

  
  


“Click-Clack? Where are you? Click-Clack!”

  
  


“I can think of one tool.” He told me, hearing a familiar voice.

  
  


“Oh, there you are!" The appearance of Revvit caused me to calm down.

  
  


“Well, I better get outta here. I don’t know about you, but this limestone just isn’t agreeing with me.” He drove a short distance away and then proceeded to gas off.

  
  


“Eww….” Revvit shook his head, looking at me. “Click-Clack… How can I help you? I know this is hard, but we must move forward. I am not saying that you should forget about your sister. But I am saying that your parents…. That they are toxic.”

  
  


“I agree.” I spoke quietly, looking at him. “My mother basically called me a misfortune…. You heard her… I am weak.” Revvit bonked me with his tail.

  
  


“Hush. You are NOT weak. Would someone who is weak climb a tower alongside Skya in the Endless Desert, despite being afraid of heights yourself. Or manage to keep D-Structs busy all night while we built a fake ravine? Or able to communicate with Towaconstrictors? You’re brave, Click-Clack. You are not weak, no matter what your parents tell you.”

  
  


_Does he really think I’m brave?_

  
  


“Don’t look at me like that. You know it’s true.” Revvit gave me a small smile and I sighed, nodding slowly.

  
  


“If you think I’m brave… I guess that’s enough for me.” I told him and he nodded.

  
  


“I don’t think, I know.” He pulled me closer. “And you know what? We both have a reason to hate your father.”

  
  


“Really?” I asked and he nodded.

  
  


“He called my cousin a cripple. And then tried to hit you, and instead hitting her. Nobody hurts you two, even if you happen to be related to him.” I gave the tiniest smile in response.

  
  


“Thanks, Rev.” He nodded at me in response.

  
  


“Come on now.” He moved his head slightly, signaling me to follow him on. “Everyone’s worried about you. Ruby feels really bad, you know?” I sighed, nodding in response.

  
  


“I guess I’ll have to apologize to her, huh?” I asked him, earning a headshake from the elder tool.

  
  


“No. She wants to apologize to you.” I eyed him, surprised.

  
  


“Why? I’m the one who yelled at her.” I admitted, confused.

  
  


“Be that as it may,” He began, looking at me. “she knows that your parents get to you more than you like to admit.”

  
  


“Yeah…. They do.” I admitted with a shake of my head. “But at least they can’t do anything to worsen what’s already happened.”

  
  


“Agreed. I believe the worst is over with.”

  
  


As much as I liked to believe that statement… The worse was far from over. What was about to come made everything seem like we got off easy.

  
  


The Hell is just beginning.


	5. Chapter 5

“How’s the pain?”

“It still hurts…” I sunk my clamps in the ground as my heart still stung from the break.

“It’ll pass soon.” River was kind and soothing, she knew what I was going through. Not exactly the same thing, but she did lose her mom when she was ten. She knows what it feels like to lose someone you care about.

“Hey, Riv?” I looked down and sighed. “I-I-I’m sorry.”

“Well, whatever for?” She asked, confused. I looked at her shoulder, a etched scratch mark was carved into her paintjob.

_Everything…_

“Th-That you took the hit for me, from… Flame.” I bonked me lightly in the head.

“Shush! I was glad to do it! That reptool, if we should even call him that, has been doing that to you since you were a kid. I will gladly take the hit for you, as will everyone else.” River sighed, shaking her head. “Waldo went to the ravine with Eclipse and Ruby. Waldo and your sister are going to give him a piece of their minds.”

_They went to talk to Flame?_

“What? Why?” I asked, confused.

“Because they care about you. And Eclipse is going to talk to Gadget. Maybe she can get through to him to get him exiled or something.”

_I doubt it… But she’s like Revvit; persistent. And tools at the ravine listen to medics, even if they don’t want to._

“If anyone can get through to my dad, it’s my mom.” Revvit added, walking in.

“Rev’s right. Gadget may be as dumb as rocks and as dull as rusted iron, but he fears the opposite sex. Especially if she’s a medic.” River added and I stifled a chuckle.

“I will never get tired of seeing my father being put in his place.” Revvit admitted, sitting next to me.

“Agreed. He’s a real hardass, so someone has to do it.” River laughed softly.

“Who’s a real hardass?” Ace asked coming in, sitting on Ton-Ton’s head, alongside Ty, Skya and Dozer.

“Gadget.” I answered, earning a laugh from the elder tool.

“Oh yeah! Remember when we were kids and he got so mad at Revvit for sneaking topside? I thought his head was going to explode!" Ace laughed at the memory, earning a small smile from me.

“I would have LOVED to see that.” Revvit replied with a laugh.

“Is your dad really that tough on you, Rev-Dude?” Ton-Ton asked, earning a nod from the green tool.

“Yeah. He’s really strict. He still wants me to take his place as leader of the ravine.” Revvit rolled his eyes, shaking his head. “But I am not meant to rule a ravine.”

The lot of us jumped when a huge lightning strike came out of nowhere.

“Lightning after weeks of clear skies? I’m not liking this.” Dozer commented, looking outside.

_Yeah… The lightning isn’t too good either._

“Agreed. It is best that we stay inside until the weather clears.” Revvit responded, looking outside as well.

Someone running in the distance caught my eye, a tool.

“Waldo?” River asked as he ran in, out of breath. “Why’d you run through the storm?”

“I had to,” He breathed out, he looked terrified. “Click-Clack, you have to hide! Run! Get out of here!”

_Why do I need to leave?_

“What?” I asked, standing up and jumping off the ledge towards him. “Why?”

“Flame’s outspoken against you! Along with your mother, they’ve framed you for murder!”

_Murder?! Of whom…? Oh._

“What?!” River exclaimed, eyes glaring daggers.

“That’s not possible!” Revvit yelled, fear in his eyes.

"Why would he do that?" Skya asked, concerned.

“I don't know! Click-Clack! You have to hide! NOW! Gadget is on his way here now!” Waldo yelled and I nodded.

“He's here..." Revvit muttered, looking around "Click-Clack, panic box!” Revvit exclaimed, quickly.

_Good idea!_

I jumped into my panic box, the lid closing soon after I jumped in it.

_They think I killed Tic-Tac…._

***POV Switch: Revvit***

“We know nothing of where Click-Clack is. Understood?” Waldo looked at every single Tool and Trux and we nodded just the same. “We go about as normal.”

“Revvit.” A gold tool walked up, soaking wet from the rain. He looked around and scoffed. “I still think these builds are a waste of time, but nevermind that now. I have more important matters to attend to.” He walked up to me, determination in his eyes. “Where’s Click-Clack?”

_Wouldn’t you like to know…_

“I do not know where Click-Clack is. Have you tried the ravine?” I asked, looking him in the eye.

“Oh, don’t play dumb with me. He is guilty of murder. Flame tells me he’s killed Tic-Tac.”

_Everything that comes out of Flame’s mouth is lies… That’s probably why Ember left, she’s tired of fighting against him._

“Do you really believe everything Flame says?” I asked with a shake of my head. “He abused his kids; do you know that?”

“Lies…” He growled, looking around. “Where has he gone?”

“He might have said something about the Dark Forest, says he was going into hiding.” River put in and he growled, turning around.

“Not for long…” And with that, he ran off towards the Dark Forest.

“Nice.” I whispered to her. "This is bad..."

"You think?!" Click-Clack asked, hopping out of his panic box, the magnetic bits stuck to him, but he shook them off. "My Dad has somehow managed to convince Gadget that I'm guilty of murder? How can my mother believe that?"

"I doubt that your mom had a choice in the matter..." I thought aloud, spinning my bits. "We need to find Ruby and my mother. With something like this, we need to converse together."

"They weren't at the ravine." Waldo stated, earning a confused look from me.

"Then we split up around the crater." Ty spoke up and I nodded.

"Agreed. Ton-Ton, you go with Ace near the forests. Dozer, with Skya near the deserts. River, with me and Click-Clack, we'll search the far ends of the crater. Ty and Waldo, you two stay here in case my father comes back here for more questions. We meet in the center of the crater in two hours."

Everyone agreed with that and set on their ways, only Ty and Waldo staying back.

“Revvit? What do we do when we find Ruby and Eclipse? Gadget still wants Click-Clack.” River asked, I could see her concerned, even through the rain.

“We’ll figure it out, Riv. We’re reptools. Everything must be fought for in every generation. We’re fighters.” I responded and she seemed to accept that answer.

“B-B-B-But Revvit…” Click-Clack stammered, concerned. “They want me… Your Dad, my parents… Most likely dead. They think I killed my sister...”

“The tools who are important know that you didn’t. Ace, Ruby, Eclipse, Waldo, River, and myself. And the Trux too. We’ll vouch for you. We’re not going down without a fight.” River consoled before I could do so myself.

“We’ll get through this, Click-Clack. But first things first, we have to find my mom and your sister.” I told him, looking around. “Reptool tracks… They look like Ruby’s.”

“Let’s follow them before they wash away.” River commented, limping beside me. We followed the trail as long as we could before he tracks started to disappear. “Damnit…”

“W-W-What now?” Click-Clack stammered, looking around nervously. It was still storming like crazy.

“Click-Clack!”

“Ruby!” Click-Clack ran to his elder sister in relief. “Waldo told us, does Gadget really want me to die?”

“Yes…” Ruby said after a long pause. “That’s why you need to get out of here, all three of you. And the sooner the better.”

“Why the three of us?” River asked, confused.

“A medic and an ex-traveler. You two will know what to do, and that’s why you have to go. The rest of us will cover for you.”

“But we have to find Eclipse.” Click-Clack spoke and Ruby sighed, looking around.

“Fine, but quickly. Come on.” Ruby led us around the ends of the crater. “If we can’t find her, I’ll search and have her meet up with you.”

“Understood.” I spoke, nodding in agreement.

***POV Switch: Back to Click-Clack***

_Ruby was right… We need to get out of here, fast. Find Eclipse, fill her in, and if she comes with us, great. If not, I’ll know she’ll cover for us._

“Mom!”

“Auntie!”

I looked around; it was getting hard to see through this rain that was now turning to a light fog.

“Revvit…” I whispered, seeing something in the distance. “What is that?”

“I am not sure…” The green tool stepped ahead of me, trying to see what it is. I followed behind him, quickly and gasped, River doing the same. Revvit remained emotionless, but his eyes were widened with fear. “Mom?”

Eclipse was dead. She laid on the crater ground, lifeless. Blue blood dribbled slowly out of her; her eyes shut as if she was sleeping.

_First Tic-Tac… Now Eclipse? To us, she was everyone’s mom! She always knew what to do and how to fix it…_

I looked to Revvit, who looked just as broken as I was.

_But how will we fix this?_

“By Diark…” Ruby whispered, looking down. “This just went from bad to worse.” Ruby sat and looked down, bowing her head to Eclipse, as did we all. “My heart has joined the Skiar,”

“For Diark has taken our friend in her time of need.” We all finished, opening our eyes once again.

“I’m sorry, Revvit. River. But you two need to go.” Ruby stated, looking at them sternly.

_She’s right… No matter how brutal, we have to get out of here._

“But Eclipse, she’s—” River began, but Ruby cut her off.

  
“Dead, yes. And we will figure it out what happened. I’m sorry to say, but when you’re dead, you’re dead. There’s nothing we can do about it. now you three need to get out of here, alright? Gadget has most likely figured out that you lied to him, Riv. You leave, I’ll send him in the other direction.”

_She’s a lifesaver._

“You’re the best, Ruby. The very best.” I told her, tears in my eyes.

“Hey, what are older sisters for if not to keep her little brother and his best friends from getting killed?” She asked and I smiled shaking my head.

“I love you.” I told her, giving her a hug. “This isn’t goodbye.” I told her and she nodded.

“It’s ‘see you later.’” She told me and nodded at us. “Now go.”

_I’ll see you again, Ruby. That’s a promise._

“Rev, come on.” River egged on her younger cousin, who leaned down towards his mother, and laid his head on her shoulder.

“I love you…” I heard him whisper before he joined us, us running as fast as we could, which was hard for River.

We ran until we reached a cliff, blocking our way from everything.

_It’s always gotta be a cliff._

“How are we getting out of here?” She asked, looking around, eyes fearful from cliff behind us, a big body of water in it. “Dragonflopters can’t fly in the rain, and I don’t see an exit or anything. And I’m not sold on that body of water.”

  
“There is no exit.” I gasped at the voice, backing up.

_Gadget…. And Flame!_

“What do we do?” River asked, looking around. “We’re trapped!”

“Don’t worry,” Revvit told her, looking to me. “I got a plan…. This is a good one.”

_He always has a plan… Trust him._

“Dad. Flame.” Revvit smiled at them.

“Revvit, stand aside.” Gadget told him with a growl. “Click-Clack, you murdered your twin sister, Tic-Tac. This sentence is punishable by death.”

“You know, Dad,” Revvit motioned for us to back up, towards the cliff. “you always were one for rules.”

_He’s not serious…_

“He murdered my daughter, Revvit.” Flame growled, the two of them stepping closer. “You two can go on home and we’ll deal with Click-Clack, personally.”

“Or we’ll fight with you, son.” Gadget threatened. “I don’t want to,” He extended his clamps. “But I will.”

“We cannot fight you. My whole life, all I ever did was fight.” Revvit explained, us three still backing up. “We cannot always fight nature, Dad. We cannot fight change. We cannot fight gravity.” He motioned to us and we jumped off the cliff.

_Worst plan ever!_

I screamed as we fell aimlessly but landed in the cold body of water. I swam as strongly as I could, myself getting pulled under water a few times.

“IMPOSSIBLE!” I managed to hear Gadget yelled. “Find them!”

“Click-Clack! Grab my clamp!” I heard Revvit call out, he had managed to swim to shore. I managed to swim to him, grabbing his clamp, coughing out water once I reached land.

“That was close.” River breathed out shaking her head. “I know my name is River, but I _never_ want to do that again.”  
  


“Hopefully, we will not have to.” Revvit coughed, shaking off from the water. “You alright?”  
  


“I’ll survive.”” I told him, sitting up. “Where are we?”  
  


“I am not sure. But I am certain I have been here on my adventures.” Revvit commented, looking around.

“Oh yeah. You might’ve told me about this place.”

I looked around, seeing a bit heavier fog than what was happening in the crater, and lots of trees.

“At least it’s not raining here.” River commented, letting out a sigh of relief. “But we have a bigger problem: Gadget and Flame may be looking for us.”

“Indeed,” Revvit spun his bits. “that could be proven a problem. We’ll think of a plan tomorrow. For now, let’s settle down for the night.”

“I’m all for that!” I spoke out with a slight shake. “Blamed for murder, running around the crater, finding my older sister who tells you to run, finding your mother figure dead, being chased by Gadget and Flame and then being forced to jump off a cliff!” I yelled out the last part, my bits shaking. “So settling down seems like a good way to go.”

“I’ll find some ore.” River volunteered.

“Be careful.” Revvit told her as she left, he then looked to me. “Are you scared?” He sat beside me, I nodded.

“Terrified… Our Dads want me dead.” I closed my eyes. “Tic-Tac’s gone… Eclipse’s gone.” We tensed up at both their names. “How do we know how to fight through this?”  
  


“We don’t.” Revvit let out a sigh, looking down. “Everytime I’ve been in a serious situation, I always looked to my mom…. I don’t know what to do without her.”

“Me too. I mean, with Tic-Tac” I admitted, looking to him. “Maybe…... Maybe we could look to each other. Be partners through this?” Revvit looked at me and eventually gave a slow nod.

“I don’t see anything wrong with that.” He held out his clamp and I shook it.

“Partners.” We both said at the same time.

_That has a nice ring to it._

“Come on. Let’s find River before she finds a way to go back to the crater before its time.” Just before we were about to get up to look for her, she came running back, in fear. She tripped and fell over nothing, getting her back clamp caught in a underground branch. “River! What’s wrong?”

  
“He’s going to kill me!” She yelled and I looked around, seeing a white tool run towards her.

“Woah!” I exclaimed, trying to free her foot. “Why is always me that has to save your a-AHHHHHH!” I screamed, hiding in my shell as he came running towards us. Luckily, Revvit pushed him down before he got to us.

The two of them began to fight, Revvit making him run around like an idiot as he tried to fight him without actually fighting him. Revvit tripped the tool, but he got up quickly. Revvit then jumped on him, but the other tool flipped him over and pushed him down.

_Oh no…._

“Blizzard?” Revvit asked, and the other tool got up quickly. “Is that really you?”

“Do I know you?” The tool, who I could now tell was male, asked.

“It’s me. Revvit.”

“….. Revvit?” He gasped in shock. “No way! It’s been… A millennia, it feels like!”

I managed to free River from the branch and walked over towards them.

“Revvit, who is this?” I asked my friend.

“Click-Clack, this is Blizzard. Blizzard, this is Click-Clack. We met in a Scraptors Nest.” I eyed him suspiciously, nodding slowly.

“Hi! I’m River. You know, the one to tried to KILL!” She exclaimed with a huff.

“My apologies, miss. That was not my intention. You see, this is my private territory. I have to fight off all predators, even my own species.” He explained, kindly. “I’m sorry if I frightened you.” She thought about it for a moment and laughed.

“All is forgiven!”

It was then that I got a good look at the tool. He was pure white, with little silver on him. He had light blue face markings, with bright blue eyes. Not like any tool I’ve ever seen before.

“Wow, I’ve never seen a tool of your color before.” River beat me to the question.

“Well, thank you.” Blizzard laughed. “It’s true. I am a rare color of reptool. I’m not quite sure why though. But I have a question for you.” He looked to Revvit. “What are you doing here?” Revvit sighed, shaking his head.

“It’s a long story.”

“I got time.” Blizzard admitted, sitting down.

“Well, it all started when….”


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I deleted the other reptool terms from the end of the previous chapter, here are the new ones:
> 
> Skiar: To be bonded to Rebow, unknown bonded to Spelile; becomes Heaven when he dies.
> 
> Spelile: Was killed by Snakeaxe. Unknown bonded to Skiar; becomes Hell when he dies.
> 
> Rebow: Goddess Of Light, banned romantic relationships between same-sex reptools. 
> 
> Snakeaxe: God of Darkness, killed Skiar.
> 
> Diark: God of Life, creator of the Ravines.
> 
> Lizar: Goddess Of Destruction, caused The Dark Forest to become dark and terrifying.

“Wow… So your father framed you for murder?” Blizzard asked and I nodded. “Of your own sister? And he’s abused you for as long as you’ve been alive…” The white tool hummed in thought. “You three need my help.”

“How can you help us?” River asked, confused. “You got some secret weapon we don’t know about.”

“No. But I can provide you shelter until you decide what to do. The three of you look worn out.” I sighed softly, nodding.

_That sounds nice. I’m exhausted._

“That’s very kind of you, thank you.”

“Certainly. I’ll show you to my cave.” We followed the tool, him leading us to a sleeping area. “It’s not much, but I manage.”  
  


“It’s wonderful, Blizzard. Thank you.” River said with a smile.

“Goodnight you guys.” Blizzard whispered, seeing as Revvit was already asleep, and he walked away to his own sleeping area.

I laid next to Revvit, yawning and fell asleep.

_“Light. Life. Goddess of Light. God of Life. Rebow. Diark. Rebow, Goddess of Light. Diark, God of Life.”_

_I woke up, looking around. I saw that Revvit was awake and River was asleep next to us._

_“D-Did you hear that?” I asked, earning a nod._

_“Yeah…” He whispered softly. “Riv. River, wake up.”_

_“Let her sleep.” We were startled by a familiar voice, we looked at the entrance to the cave._

_No…. It can’t be._

_“Tic-Tac?” I whispered in disbelief. Walking slowly towards her. “You’re alive!”_

_“Mom?” Revvit asked, running towards her. “We thought you two were dead!”_

_Eclipse looked solemnly and sighed._

_Something’s wrong…_

_“Y-You are alive?... Aren’t you?” I asked, looking at my twin, scared for the answer._

_It was then I noticed that they had a glow surrounding them. Like a…. Like a ghost._

_“You’ll find out in given time.” Tic-Tac spoke up, walking outside the cave, Eclipse in front of her. “Follow.”_

_Revvit looked to me and I nodded._

_I feel like this will give us answers._

_Revvit stepped outside the cave, me right behind him. As soon as we stepped out, we were in a white-like territory. Like we were standing on the clouds…. Like we were in Skiar._

_“But this is…” I whispered, figuring it out._

_“This is Skiar.” Eclipse confirmed and I sighed, looking down._

_“…. You’re not alive. Are you?” I looked at my sister and she shook her head, slowly._

_“No.” She sighed. “I’m sorry.”_

_I looked down, trying my best not to cry._

_Why would you get your hopes up like that? You knew they were dead!_

_“Then why are you here?” Revvit asked, confused as I was._

_“Click-Clack. Revvit. You two have what it takes.” Eclipse explained. “You two have abilities like no other.”_

_“What do you mean?” I questioned._

_“What kind of abilities?” Revvit added._

_“Please, let us explain.” Tic-Tac turned around and looked at us. “Follow.”_

_Reluctantly, we did as we were told. We followed them through a light, and we were taken to a green area._

_“Where are we?” I asked._

_“We’re in The Dark Forest.” Eclipse spoke and Revvit shook his head._

_“No… That can’t be right.” He spoke, looking around. “The Dark Forest is, well… Dark. It’s so lightened here.”_

_“That’s because this was 200 years ago.” Tic-Tac answered, motioning behind her._

_“You know, you don’t have to do this…”_

_“Yes… I do.”_

_“That’s Spelile.” I commented, looking around. “And Skiar. He was to be bonded to Rebow, the Goddess of Light.”_

_“But Spelile killed Skiar before their bonding ceremony, and he became the spirit of Hell. Skiar fought in the war and sacrificed his life, becoming Heaven.” Revvit finished. “We all know the tale.”_

_  
“Yes. Except it wasn’t what you think.” Eclipse finished, motioning towards them. “Watch.”_

_“I’m to be bonded to Rebow. I can’t get out of it.” Skiar commented with a shake of his head._

_“And for what?” Spelile huffed, shaking his head. “You don’t love her, do you?”_

_“No…” I gasped softly in shock. “Of course not, my heart belongs to you.”_

_“Then why be bonded to her?”_

_“I…. I have to do what is expected.”_

_“And what about us?”_

_“I-I don’t understand.” Revvit commented, confused._

_“Skiar and Spelile weren’t enemies. Far from it. They were madly in love.” Tic-Tac explained._

_“B-B-But same-sex relations are against the reptool laws.” Revvit commented. “It’s rarely enforced, due to the modern times, but Dad does enforce it.”_

_“Yes. Do you know why this law was set in place?” Eclipse asked and we shook our heads. “Watch.”_

_We saw another reptool. Hiding behind a rock, he growled in anger._

_“That’s Snakeaxe.” I whispered. “He and Lizar started the war.”_

_“You’re half right.” Eclipse commented. “It was Snakeaxe who started everything.”_

_Before I could ask why, Snakeaxe jumped up in front of Skiar and Spelile._

_“You traitor!”_

_“Snakeaxe!” Skiar yelled, fear in his eyes._

_  
“You dare do this to my sister?!” He got into a fighting position. “Now you’ll pay…”_

_“Skiar, run!” Spelile yelled, but Snakeaxe didn’t attack Skiar. He attacked Spelile._

_“NO!” Snakeaxe had killed Spelile in an instant._

_“B-B-But why did he do that?” I asked, very confused._

_“Snakeaxe believed he was helping his sister by killing Spelile. But really, he started the war.” Eclipse responded, walking on. “Come on.”_

_We hesitantly followed and gasped at gasped in horror once light turned to darkness. There were tools, dead. Including Skiar._

_“What happened?” I asked, terrified._

_“They happened.” Eclipse motioned nearby. The four siblings, Spelile, Rebow, Snakeaxe and Lizar stood on a ledge._

_“B-B-But didn’t they fight each other in this war?” Revvit asked._

_“That’s what every tool learned growing up. But it is complete untruths.” Tic-Tac explained. “They didn’t fight each other until years later, when Lizar killed their father. In that war, Lizar and Snakeaxe went up against Rebow and Diark, who won the war, but Rebow died shortly after Lizar and Snakeaxe.’_

_“But not before Rebow set the law.” Eclipse showed us something else._

_“How dare he?!” Rebow cried, slashing her clamps across a tree.  
  
_

_“I am sorry, sister…” Snakeaxe looked down._

_“Is there anything we can do?” Diark asked, calmly._

_“Yes….” She growled, anger in her eyes. “Tell everyone! All ravines, that same-sex relations though every reptool is banned!”_

_“But sister…” Lizar gasped in shock. “Other reptools shouldn’t be punished because of Skiar’s betrayal.”  
  
_

_“I am the leader of this ravine! Please!” Rebow looked down and turned away. “Just do what I say.”_

_The younger siblings bowed at her and left._

_“That’s what turned Lizar in the end.” Tic-Tac stated. “She loved another female tool but could not be with her because of her sister.”_

_“Because…. Because of Rebow?” I asked and she nodded._

_“Rebow meant nothing by this. She was angered, because of Skiar.” Eclipse explained, walking away._

_“Come on.” We followed Tic-Tac, who brought us back to Skiar._

_“These tales of the past were just lies?” Revvit asked and Eclipse nodded._

_“I’m afraid so.” She sighed. “But there is something else.”  
  
_

_“What?” I asked._

_“Gadget is relevant to the Lizar, Goddess of Destruction. And Flame is relevant to Snakeaxe, the God of Darkness.” Tic-Tac asked and we gasped._

_After all we’ve seen, we have to believe it._

_“B-B-But… H-How can that be?” I asked._

_“It’s true, I’m afraid. It’s the same way that you are relevant towards Rebow. The Goddess of Light.” Eclipse responded, calmly. “And Revvit is relevant towards Diark. The God of Life.”_

_“And unless you two take down Flame and Gadget, the world will be at war.” I gasped at Tic-Tac’s statement._

_“But you two can prevent it.” Eclipse added._

_“How?! We’re not fighters like Gadget and Flame are! And no doubt they’ll have the whole ravine on their side!” I expressed, shakily._

_“You’ll find out. In given time. Just remember; light always wins over darkness. And life will always build over destruction.” With those words from Eclipse, I jolted awake._

_Was that real? A dream?_

I looked beside me, seeing Revvit was awake too.

“Th-Th-That wasn’t a dream… Was it?” I asked, Revvit shook his head.

“I’m afraid not…” He spoke up. “Nobody could make up that Skiar and Spelile were lovers. And we definitely could not dream it, especially at the same time with my mother and your sister... And it felt so real…. We have to believe everything they said.”

_Then that means…_

“S-S-S-So… We have to fight Flame and Gadget?” I asked and he nodded.

“What?” River asked, with a yawn. “What are you two going on about?”

Revvit and I exchanged looked and nodded.

_We have to tell them._

“Wake up Blizzard.” Revvit told her and she nodded, standing up.

“No need. I’m already awake.” The white tool commented, sitting in front of us. “What’s going on?”

We told them everything.

“Really? You have to fight them?” River asked and I nodded.

“That Spelile and Skiar were lovers….” Blizzard hummed. “Do you think it’s true?”

“I believe it is. How could it not be?” I expressed. “This means the legends were myths. And that we have to take down Flame and Gadget.”  
  


_And we have to win._

“They said you were the Goddess of Light and God of Life?” Blizzard thought to himself. “That makes Gadget the Goddess of Destruction and Flame the God of Darkness…”  
  


“‘Light always wins over darkness. And life will always build over destruction.’” River thought aloud. “Light is Click-Clack, who must fight the darkness, which is Flame. Revvit, you’re life, so you must fight the destruction.”

_It makes sense… Light against darkness. Life against destruction._

“Even in death, my mother is wise.” Revvit shook his head, closing his eyes. “And if she, along with Tic-Tac, are correct… Then we must take them on.”

“How?” River asked, confused. “Gadget never taught you to fight. Neither did Flame for you, Click-Clack. How will you fight them?”

“I could teach them.” Blizzard spoke up.

_He can?_

“You?” River asked, confused. “You know how to fight?”

“I do have an extremely specific set of skills. Fighting skills. I could teach you to fight on your own. Clear your name, fight your fathers once and for all.”

_It sure would be helpful…_

“Very well.” Revvit agreed. “We accept.”

“So… A war again?” I asked, looking down. “Will we win?”

“We have to.” Revvit stood up, looking me in the eyes. “Whatever it takes.”

“Whatever it takes.” I seconded, nodding at him.

“Whatever it takes.” Blizzard looked between us, determined. River looked at us, nodded, and stood up.

“Whatever it takes.”

“You want to fight?” Blizzard asked, confused.

“What? You think I can’t fight because I’m a girl?!” She growled softly.

“No! No ma’am.” He expressed and she nodded.

“That’s what I thought.”

“We better get started then.” Blizzard got into a fighting stance. “Now show me what you got.”

I copied his stance and attacked, but he flipped me over, pinning me down quickly. I looked at him in shock.

“What? You didn’t see that coming?” He teased and I sighed, getting up. “Try again. Don’t watch where I am. Watch where I’m going to be.”

_Where he’s going to be…_

I watched him move, and before he attacked, I moved to the side quickly, tripping him and pinning him down.

“Excellent!” He let me up. “He did better than your first time, Revvit.”

Revvit looked at him, annoyed.

“Very funny.” The white tool laughed at Revvit’s annoyance and nodded at me.

“Again.”

***POV Switch: Ruby***

“So are they alive?” I shook my head at Waldo’s question.

“I’m not sure… They jumped off a cliff, I know that much.” I responded. “They better be alive…”

“Hey, they’re strong! They’ll make it back.” Ace consoled me and I sighed, looking at her.

“I hope so. Because I have no idea what to do if they don’t.” I confessed. “I’m afraid that without them, the ravine will fall.”

“Maybe Revvit should’ve taken Gadget’s place after all.” Waldo thought aloud and I shook my head.

“No way. Revvit’s not meant to be a leader. Besides, I think it would have made little difference.” I looked down, sadly. “Flame and Gadget are the leaders now. We have to be careful.”  
  


“How?” Ace asked.

“Less frequent trips to the ravine. And we don’t have a medic now, River’s with Revvit and Click-Clack and Eclipse is…. Dead.” Waldo and Ace looked at me, surprised.

“What?” Waldo questioned in shock.

  
“How?” Ace added and I sighed.

_Here comes the hard part._

“I didn’t tell Revvit this, I had to make sure they got out of here…. But it looked like she had been killed.” They shook their heads in disbelief.

“Killed?!” Waldo exclaimed, loudly. “You’re sure?”  
  


“Yes.” I sighed, sadly. “She had been very clearly been murdered. I’m not sure by whom though. We will figure this out, but now we have bigger things to worry about.”  
  


“Where Click-Clack, Revvit and River are,” Ace started off.

“how to get them back home,” Waldo added.

“and how we’re going to get rid of Gadget and Flame.” I finished.

_We can’t take them on ourselves. That’s suicide._

“No way we can get down that cliff now that the river’s sunk down.” Waldo confessed. “Even with the Trux, it seems impossible.”  
  


“I fear that you’re right.” I agreed. “And we have no idea where that river even leads to anyways, or where they ended up.”

“So we’re stuck here until they get back?” Ace asked and I nodded.

“When they get back. And they will.” I told her, confidently.

_I know you three aren’t dead… Please, just make it back safely._


End file.
